High Schoolers Want Your Toiletries

As Chathamites head home from spring break, two students from are hoping for souvenirs.

Jordan Phelan and Bobby Costanzo, both juniors, are co-presidents of the Bridges Club at Chatham High. The two became involved with the Summit-based Bridges Outreach, Inc. through at , assembling paper bag lunches to deliver to homeless people in New York City, Newark and Irvington. 

Eventually the two decided to start a club at the high school associated with the nonprofit organization. "It's a really easy way to get involved," Phelan said.

Currently, Costanzo said, "what they really need is toiletries, and now we figure is a good time to do it." By bringing back travel-sized toiletries from their spring break travels, Costanzo said all residents can help the club and those less fortunate.

"The main things we're looking for are travel-size liquid soap, shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste and deoderant," Phelan said. The club has a collection box outside the school library entrance, and hopes to place another collection box in the main office.

Costanzo and Phelan have traveled to deliver meals to the homeless with Bridges, sometimes in snowy winter weather. "We were surprised, at least I was. The roads were so hard, and we still made the trip into the city," Costanzo said.

Bridges was started in 1988 by Geoff and Ginger Worden. Volunteers go to New York on Fridays, Newark on Saturdays and Irvington on Sundays. Phelan and Costanzo hope to get their fellow high school students involved in making the lunches, since Bridges needs at least 300 lunch bags to deliver. "It's a lot of work," Phelan said. "You need donations and manpower. The more people you have, the easier it is."

The two plan a sneaker drive for later this year, and hope to get students from Lafayette Avenue School involved in assorting the lunches.